Today I decided to come home early. Stranded on a six day working schedule (on which I have now written over a million posts and counting) two hours of respite on the dreaded Monday looked godsend.
I clocked the time I reached home and it happily revealed that I had almost saved two hours and fifteen minutes against my regular work days.
Quickly making myself a hot cup of tea and some chips to crunch, I sat down on my bean bag to write.
The sheer joy of snatching away two hours on a work day to write gave me a strange high.
This got me thinking. Is it really that simple to be happy?
Our everyday routines may facilitate in achieving the big targets, the high headed goals of life. But it leaves us with no time and energy to snatch away those little moments of joy.
Happiness is not a quadratic equation it is only a simple solution to life.
And in this brief moment of sudden realisation I decided. I decided to write down three things that will always find space in my life that provide me happiness.
Read.
I enjoy reading as much as a fish enjoys water perhaps. It is what keeps me going in insane periods of my life. I have sailed through worst of worst with the help of Dickens, Bronte and Rowlings of the world. They have sheltered me from harsh realities of outside life. And often explained to me that like the printed words on those yellowed pages, I am too a part of an ongoing story.
Hence I promise myself at least fifty pages of reading each day come heaven or hell.
Write.
This comes a close second to reading. It is because writing does come with its own baggage of setting standards high. But having said that at the end of a perfectly executed article the happiness felt is incomparable in all aspects. And writing lets out my thoughts for better clarity. Looking back at many of blogs and diaries I have been able to see the journey that has transpired.
Hence I promise myself at least five hundred words of writing everyday.
Yoga
It has been sometime since my routine has gotten completely scattered and out of the basic things I practiced each day, yoga has been sacrificed. It is due to paucity of time and ill managed schedule that this has come about. But now I realise that every bit of my day is my doing or undoing and hence twenty minutes of every morning will be kept aside for yoga.
The above three things do not form part of my big career plans or goals. They are things I enjoy out of habit and routine. Today I ask you tell me any one thing that gives you immense happiness and is a part of your routine?
So true..For me it’s writing, reading and eating amazing spicy food 😀
hehe spicy food count me in too!
Lovely post 🙂 I’ll go with reading, writing, cooking 🙂
Hop in@TaleofTwoTomatoes
Cooking! Great! I would take to eating 😛
For me it is reading. I cannot get enough of it. I love to read.In my absolute worst times, I’ve read.
Me too!
Love this…would much rather be doing all of those things rather than the dreaded quadratic equations. I don’t miss those one bit!
haha I miss them though! I loved Maths 🙂
It is such a simple post but it will resonate with all of us. I too love reading and try to do as much as possible but exercise is always at a back seat. Will try harder.
Same here. Exercise I too need to pick up!
Very commendable that you have decided to set time aside for these tasks, Richa. May you always be happy 🙂
Thanks Shailaja 🙂
atleast 500 words everyday, that is something!
Lets hope I stick to this something 😀
Well said Richa, Happiness is not a quadratic equation it is only a simple solution… Truly our happiness reside in our own hand only…
Yes it surely does 🙂
For me watering my plants also falls in the same category 😀
Wow that is different from all the answers I have received so far 🙂
A inspiring post, Richa! I wish you the best as you work toward keeping your promises to yourself. It is that simple to be happy – that’s a profound thought in itself. Thanks for writing this post.
Thanks Bela I wish so too!
I have always believed happiness to be a simple equation. Only I can choose to be happy with what I have and the only person who can stop me from feeling happy is me 🙂
PhenoMenon
https://throodalookingglass.com/2014/08/giant-prayer-wheels-at-the-golden-temple/
Amen to that thought 🙂
Truly, happiness is made up of the littlest things! Stay happy and pass me those chips! 😉
Passing them right away 😀
True that, happiness lies within us … for me its spending time with family playing UNO, blogging abt travel and photography 🙂
Playing Uno? Another unique one I have got here 🙂
True…happiness lies in simple things of everyday life…
It surely does Maniparna 🙂
Very true! Good one!
Glad you liked it Padhma 🙂
i love blogs that are simple and straight to the point like this.
Thanks 😀
Nice one Richa :). Happiness and simplicity certainly do go hand in hand :).
PS: I love the new design on the site, it is very elegant and simple :). Although one small request – Kindly do add a follow button for subscription over email. I tried searching for it, but unfortunately I didn’t come across it..
Oh I am sorry. But I do believe they are in my footbar. Will add in a more conspicuous way 🙂
Simple, clear post and so true! Glad you are setting out to do these things. Reading and writing feature up there in my list too, but ever since my daughter’s birth I hardly read… time to change that! 🙂
It does happen, we tend to drop things we love. But eventually we would always return to things we love 🙂
We all have our tiny sanctuaries which make the toil bearable–happy to know yours Richa 🙂
Yes and these tiny sanctuaries keep us sane too 😀
Your post was so concise and drove the point home for me its writing, reading, dancing
Dancing that is lovely!
Happiness is truly in small things. For me it would be reading, blogging and doing Reiki!
Reiki! I never knew this one Shilpa!
Mine is probably reading as well. I take the train or bus to work so I have a lot of time to just sit and read which I really enjoy doing. I have 3 library cards and constantly use them to borrow e-books on my Kindle Fire. The other thing I really enjoy is blogging because I get to type out my thoughts and not keep them inside.
Borrowing e-books on kindle is a great idea to pick up reads. I do too!
True, it’s the simplest thing like having tea on rainy day that makes me extremely happy. I too love writing and reading. Add to it travelling and exploring the city.
Honestly hot tea on any day any time makes me happy 😀
I love reading, and writing, cooking, baking, and eating. I love to travel, and spend time with family. . . and I love Tai Chi and rain, too. There are many things that make me happy. I just have to fit them in. 🙂
Tai Chi and rain 🙂 Lovely combination Amalia
I love all these things too…it doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s a choice thing really. I choose to be happy today. I love reading, cooking, writing, yoga, meditation, I love life! I choose to be happy…yay!
Lovely Andrea! Meditation is something I love too!
Hi Richa! Ahh, happiness. I wrote about that today, too. Happiness is not a future event; it is a present choice.
Blessings.
Penny
Perfectly put Penny 🙂 It is a present choice 😀